I've had my tortoise Mew since 24th of september now she is 4 years old. I brought her off a lovely woman who sold me mew with her box and heat lamp (i brought the rest of the stuff myself) mew is a marginated tortoise and over the months ive had her she had become pretty ill she has septicemia, jaundice and pneumonia. i took her to the vets alot for these problems and eventually they have been fixed, then a couple of months ago she stopped eating and wasnt her usual self i took her to the vets and he told me she has a lump on her bowl which cannot be removed and that she has had this condition for a while, which made me think about her previous owners and if they might of known about this. the vet told me there is not much he can do to help her as they cannot operate on tortoises and that he can give her vitamin injections which will help her and told me to stay away from giving her food with too much fibre in. I just want her to get better, and i was wondering if anyone elses tortoise has a condition simular. i love mew :)

Hiya,

When they say there is a lump in her bowl - did they explain what the lump is; is it tissue or a foreign object (eg a calcium stone) please?

TC
Darren

he said that a lump came up on the x-ray and its blocking some of her bowel making it hard for her to go to the loo, and he cant identify it, and her liver and kidneys are shutting down :( i cried alot when he told me this, he said he is going to do all he can to help her, ive paid out alot of money in vet bills but she is worth it.

elle :)

Hi Elle,

If it is a bladder stone, which is usually caused through dehydration and is quite common, the stone can be removed. May I ask what vets you consulted with and where you are in the UK, many vts have very little knowledge or experience with tortoises. It may be worth a second opinion.

Here's a link showing a bladder stone operation:-

http://www.tortoise-protection-group.org.uk/site/163.asp

HTH

Darren

My vets is chruch end vets in st austell cornwall, andy cornelious deals with her he is a wonderful vet and has help her out alot. does an operation like this cost much? i would do anything to help her and she is a baby still really, i had no idea that they could operate on tortoises like that, i do eventually want to get another marginated tortoise but once mew is better. thank you for your advise :)

elle

Hi Elle,

We've not paid for this particular operation, but I would imagine they are expensive and best carried out by someone who has experience.
It may be worth giving your vet a call to enquire whether it is possibly a stone, they are extremely common with tortoises in captivity. May I ask if you bathe your tortoise at all?
Is she very weak?

yh i bathe her every other day, i cant bathe her everyday because she ends up going mental and panicing so if i do it every other day she seems more calm. she isnt weak she is very lively but lately she has been more sleepyy then usual but if she hears me she will come walking along so i stroke her under her chin. i will take her back to the vets he wants to check up on her regulary he did say she is a bit puffy at the moment but because she is a tortoise the signs of her getting better will be much slower, i always keep an eye on her every single day i get paranoid about her getting more ill then she is. i just want whats best for her.

elle

Hi Elle,

I was going to suggest you go to Andy Cornelious, as he's on our vet list and comes highly recommended. It may be worth having another word with him to enquire whether surgery might be an option?

yeah i think i will, seems the best option, last time he let me set up a money scheme so i could pay the money off in bits so i hink if i do have to pay that might be a good idea. thank you so much, i will let you know how it goes :)

elle

Please do let us know how you get on
Good Luck Elle:-)

thank you :)

Hi Ellie

So sorry to hear your news, Ellie is very lucky to have you as you are doing so much for her. Hope that it if it is a bladder stone that it can be removed and she will start to feel better. Will be looking for your progress
Jane, Keya & Molly

Sorry I meant to say Mew!!!

thank you :) this morning mew escaped from her box O_o i found her walking around my room she is like a little ninja, i foned my vets up he told me to keep giving her a high protein diet and then he will weigh her to see if she has put on weight then he will see about an operation, he is just worried that if she does have one it may be dangerous because of her other under linning problems, but she is making good progress!

elle

Hi Elle

That is good news, me and my brood will be cheering Mew on
Jane, Keya & Molly

Fingers crossed for her Elle:-)